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Bastille Day in the Hood
Francophiles get their fix in Brooklyn
The thing about living in New York City is that even if you don't travel, people come to you. People from all over the world bring their holidays, traditions, and foodstuff with them, which can make an average weekend here very cosmopolitan, without the hassle of going back and forth to the airport.
Case in point: On Sunday, I made the trek from Manhattan out to Brooklyn, where most of my reasonable friends now live. In case you are unfamiliar with the Manhattan vs. Brooklyn debate, I'll sum it up for you. A decade ago, you could move to Brooklyn, pay less rent, and have more space. And if you did it then, you were smart, because now, if you move to Brooklyn, you may have more space, but you'll still be paying $2,000+ a month.
Truth be told, there are a lot of people who prefer to live in Brooklyn, even if they can afford Manhattan, just because the neighborhoods are more authentic and teeming with attitudes and scenes of their own. Williamsburg, DUMBO, and Fort Greene are the hip areas, filled with nubiles and their big dreams. But my 30-something friends generally live in one of two areas: Park Slope off 5th Avenue, a very established, white, Berkeley-progressive area for crunchy yuppies, dominated by designer ergonomic baby carriages and expensive children's hairdressers and boutiques; or off Smith Street in Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens, a still very white and wealthy strip, but more European and adult with Parisian-style cast-iron street lamps and an abundance of day spas.
Case in point: On Sunday, I made the trek from Manhattan out to Brooklyn, where most of my reasonable friends now live. In case you are unfamiliar with the Manhattan vs. Brooklyn debate, I'll sum it up for you. A decade ago, you could move to Brooklyn, pay less rent, and have more space. And if you did it then, you were smart, because now, if you move to Brooklyn, you may have more space, but you'll still be paying $2,000+ a month.
Truth be told, there are a lot of people who prefer to live in Brooklyn, even if they can afford Manhattan, just because the neighborhoods are more authentic and teeming with attitudes and scenes of their own. Williamsburg, DUMBO, and Fort Greene are the hip areas, filled with nubiles and their big dreams. But my 30-something friends generally live in one of two areas: Park Slope off 5th Avenue, a very established, white, Berkeley-progressive area for crunchy yuppies, dominated by designer ergonomic baby carriages and expensive children's hairdressers and boutiques; or off Smith Street in Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens, a still very white and wealthy strip, but more European and adult with Parisian-style cast-iron street lamps and an abundance of day spas.
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17:32 EDT, 17.Jul.08
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